What Really Happened At The Trump-Putin Meeting In Hamburg, Germany

US President Donald Trump (L) and US First Lady Melania Trump (R) wave after stepping on Air Force One prior their departure from Chopin Airport in Warsaw to Hamburg,on July 6, 2017. Donald Trump arrived for high-stakes visit to Europe on July 5, landing in Poland ahead of his first G20 summit in Hamburg and a closely-watched meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. / AFP PHOTO / PIOTR NOWAK (Photo credit should read PIOTR NOWAK/AFP/Getty Images)

Two world leaders, U.S. President Vladimir Putin and Russian President Vladimir Putin, met for the first time today in Hamburg to discuss for more than two hours the most thorny and controversial issues facing our troubled world. At its conclusion, CNN and other media outlets were interested in only one “huge headline” from the meeting: Did Trump raised with Putin the issue of Russian interference in the US 2016 election? If so, did Trump really accept Putin’s denial, particularly after Trump’s “strange” press conference in Warsaw? Other matters, such as the agreement on a partial ceasefire for southwest Syria, Russia’s Crimean annexation and support for “separatists” fighting in eastern Ukraine, cooperation on terrorism, and the Korean nuclear threat, were treated as of lesser importance.

Trump shook hands with Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 Meeting in Hamburg about 4 p.m. local time. Both made brief remarks before their meeting. Notably, Putin declared the importance of developing a personal relationship with Trump as the basis for trust in negotiation. The two presidents carved out time from the G20 schedule by foregoing the panel on climate change. The meeting was originally scheduled for 45 minutes but stretched to two hours and fifteen minutes. Afterwards, Putin rushed to a delayed meeting with the Japanese prime minister, and Trump appeared late for a buffet dinner and concert.

The tight schedule did not allow Putin to play his usual “make his partner wait” game. Body language specialists, however, could not refrain from noting Trump’s leaning forward for a two-handed power handshake with the diminutive Putin.

The meeting was attended by the two presidents and foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and secretary of state, Rex Tillerson. Reports suggest that the American side requested additional attendees, in particular H.R. McMaster and Fiona Hill, but the Russia side insisted on the four plus translators. Apparently they wanted to keep experienced Russia observers from the room and have at the inexperienced Trump and Tillerson alone.

Lavrov’s account of the meeting described the negotiations as constructive and confirming the desire of the two leaders for mutually beneficial agreements, rather than confrontation. Per Lavrov, the presidents discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula and their readiness to announce a partial ceasefire in Syria. According to Lavrov, Trump told Putin that the discussion of Russia’s "interference" in the 2016 U.S. elections is acquiring a “strange character” (stranny kharakter). Tillerson, in his meetings with the press, indicated that Putin denied election tampering and demanded proof of such. According to Russian accounts, Trump accepted Putin’s denial, an assertion disputed by Tillerson.

By reserving the “huge headline” for the Russian interference question, the media is overlooking issues that are integral to our and the world’s national security.

It would have been more important to note that Trump went on record with his speech in Warsaw the day before with a remarkably anti-Russian speech that condemned Russia’s aggression in Crimea and Ukraine and Russia’s support of rogue regimes in Syria and Iran. Trump even went into the weeds to support Poland’s opposition to the Russian natural gas monopoly, which is trying to reassert its dominance via Nord Stream 2. Trump came out unequivocally in support of Article 5 of NATO – an omission which his critics have harked on since the beginning of the presidential campaign. That should have been the major news item of the past two days.

By taking a tough stand on Russia, Trump seemed to be following his negotiating tactic of beginning with a tough position vis-à-vis his opponent. It appears to me that was a major goal of the Warsaw address. Putin surely got the message.

The media should have reminded readers of the importance of first impressions in summit negotiations. Putin clearly wished to test the mettle of Trump in a one-on-one setting of a political pro versus a political novice. Recall that Nikita Khrushchev embarked on his Cuban missile adventure after sizing up JFK as a weakling in their first meeting. On the other hand, Ronald Reagan’s mastery of Mikhail Gorbachev at their first encounter in Geneva set the agenda for the collapse of the USSR.

The potential significance of the Syrian partial cease fire cannot be understated. If Putin wishes to build a relationship of personal mutual trust, he cannot play his usual game of ignoring agreements. Syria is a test case for Trump. Trump must decide whether it is worth negotiating with this guy despite his countless lies and backtracking, or should he turn to other partners and other means.

Russian hacking of the 2016 election is an extremely complex issue that touches both sides of the political spectrum. Yes, Russia likely played a role, but what was it? Were there others? We’ll require years of real investigations, not the shoddy ones we have, despite questionable claims of intelligence-community unanimity. Trump is wise not be bullied into taking an unequivocal position. Let legitimate investigations decide these issues, not Trump or the media.

In the meantime, the media should focus on what is important to our safety and security, not on petty politics.